


Flowers in Space

by Shymerc



Series: Hearts and Marigolds [1]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Angst, Artsy Abby, Best Friends, F/M, Fluff, Headcanon, Jake dies, Marriage, Romance, The Ark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2017-04-02
Packaged: 2018-10-14 03:29:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10527909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shymerc/pseuds/Shymerc
Summary: Abby used to draw organs on the margins of papers, Clarke draws flowers and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Ages ago I said that I would write this so I did and what was supposed to be a drabble turned into something else entirely but it was fun.

****_Salivary glands – lingual lipase, lysozyme, haptocorrin._

Biology is Abby’s absolute favourite subject and she has a test tomorrow which means that she needs to get all the questions right if she wants a chance to start her internship a year early and take advanced medicine courses by the time she is sixteen. So she is sat in the library going over the digestive system. The textbook is old; it was probably old when students used it on earth too. Some of the pages are falling out and most of the presumably once colourful images have faded. She could use the tablet provided, she should use the tablet, but the old book is much more detailed and interesting. A taste of what life could have been.

 _Esophagus._ _Stomach_ _–_ _pepsin, hydrochloric acid._

Abby picks up her father’s pen and carefully starts to draw the outline of a human body on paper she had found in the trash, makes sure to leave plenty of space to add the organs later. She is not the type that draws much; drawing with pens is a luxury but if she takes one pen, who will really notice? Her father is in the council and Abby knows they have many more pens. Besides she needs it to study and learn the anatomy and become a doctor.

“What are you doing?”

Abby doesn’t even bother looking up, simply huffs in annoyance as she recognises the voice.

“I’m practising for the test.”

Jake sits down next to her, a frown between his brows as he looks at her drawings. He’s eleven too and sometimes Abby thinks of his as her best friend after Callie of course. She pretends like she’s not doing anything wrong, honey brown hair arranged in short neat braids and washed out blue sweater wrinkleless; she looks like the perfect student.

“You know we’re not supposed to waste ink, Abby.”

“I just took one pen, dad won’t notice and besides I need to learn this if I want to pass,” she explains and starts to trace the outline of the gallbladder. If she only had colours then–

“You don’t need to practice, you’ll pass,” Jake smiles, catches his friend’s big brown eyes when she finally looks up. Abby raises his eyebrows at him, eyes squinting slightly.

“I need to get all the answers right so that I can–“

“–start your internship one year in advance,” Jake concludes. It has been the only thing Abby has talked about for months. “That’s still six years from now Abby.” She gives him a look and Jake laughs. “Fine, fine. I won’t tell. Just don’t do it again.”

She lights up like the sun, eyes sparkling and a big smile parting her lips. She is beautiful as she pulls him into a quick hug and plants a kiss on his cheek.

“You’re the best, Jake.” Her smile remains as she looks down at the paper in front of her again, happily mumbling words Jake can’t even begin to remember. It makes him smile.

* * *

 Two years later Abby is sat on the floor, back against the bed, old biology textbook she had ‘borrowed’ from the library in her lap and a pen in her hand as she traces the brain halves that have almost faded beyond recognition. It is the morning of Unity Day and Jake is lying on his stomach on the bed, reading a book about old sports legends he and Callie had found in the library last week. He is curious about  Francesco Totti but the book doesn’t stretch back to his time. He will have to go with Callie next week and see if there is something else sport related they can find in the older unsorted section of the library.

He glances down at Abby, ponytail bobbing along to her movements as she draws in the book. He has given up on trying to stop her. Besides this time she is preserving knowledge so really she is doing something positive and if he stops her, then he will be responsible for the lost knowledge according to Abby. Both Jake and Callie know that that argument is faulty but it is Abby. And how can Jake say no to those eyes?

“You done soon?” He asks and receives a mumble in response. He sits up, reaches for her ponytail and tugs gently, “I’m talking to you, busy bee.”

She turns to meet his eyes in an instant, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, eyes sparkling with happiness.

“Yes?”

“You done saving the world?”

Abby laughs and in that moment she is magical. She reaches forward to slap his arm playfully but he pulls away before she makes contact.

“Is that a yes? We need to get going soon; Callie’s probably already waiting for us.”

“Do we have to?” Abby pouts unhappily, chin resting on her crossed arms on the bed frame. Jake does not doubt that she could live the rest of her life drawing organs and reading that textbook if it was up to her.

“Well your dad is holding a very important speech and all the little kids have practised for months and if no one shows up then they’ll be so disappointed. Think about the kids, Abby.”

Abby rolls her eyes at him; they both know it is mandatory and unless she is dying, her father will not allow her to be absent. She gets up, places the textbook on the bed and straightens out the washed out red sweater she is only allowed to wear for special occasions. It was her mother’s once upon a time, and now at fourteen, Abby is finally big enough to wear it without drowning in the soft fabric. It is her favourite piece of clothing; it reminds her of the mother she never knew and when she wears it, her father’s mood improves significantly.

“You look just like her,” He mumbles sometimes, eyes glossy and it is almost close to genuine affection. Abby wonders if maybe he would have been different if her mother had not fallen sick after having Abby. She wonders what kindness would look like on him and how a genuine small would sound if his wife had not been dead long before she was actually dead. But she is not one that likes to dwell too much on dreams so she pushes away the thoughts.

Abby looks at Jake again, and a small smile plays on her lips when they make eye contact. He stands too, reaches for the pen she has left on the floor and thinks that one day she is going to get in serious trouble for using them all the time. But as long as she makes it four more years, to her seventeenth birthday, she will be okay because he doubts that she will have the time to draw while saving lives (and maybe then Jake will stop having heart attacks every time Abby’s father mumbles about the whereabouts of his pens).

* * *

 “I don’t get it, why don’t you just use the tablet like the rest of us?” Callie asks.

The three of them are sitting on the floor by one of the windows overlooking Earth in section E-13. It is in the less populated areas of the Ark and it is one of the grey areas that are rarely monitored by the guard. Callie’s dad, an officer on the Ark, had let that piece of information slip once and Callie had brought her two best friends down here the following day. It is peaceful and it doesn’t feel as cold and artificial as the rest of the Ark. During the past few months, it has become their spot. Usually, they bring a blanket to keep them warm, preferably Abby’s fluffy one, and then they can sit for hours and talk until curfew or just marvel at the Earth they will never know.

“Cal, don’t get her started on that or else we’ll be here all night.”

And it is true; last time Abby had started with her rants, they had almost missed curfew and that meant no Unity Dance once they turned sixteen. It was only thanks to Callie and all the secret shortcuts she knows that they made it back in time.

“I’m just saying, you could end up in the Sky Box or something.”

The mere thought of that makes an uncomfortable lump appear in Jake’s stomach. He glances at Abby sitting next to him. She doesn’t look worried at all, eyes focused on the Earth they will never live to see.

“Only if I get caught. Besides I’m too valuable for that.”

She is right of course, not only will she start her internship two years early (arguably she won’t be in charge of anything important, but it is still actual work experience her peers won’t have) because she has shown exceptional knowledge and drive by enrolling in advanced medicine classes when she was only fourteen, she is also the most promising doctor in the making the Ark has had in years. Throwing her in a cell would harm humanity and endanger the survival of the human race.

“True, but still, you should cut back a bit. How many?” Callie asks, head resting on Abby’s shoulder as she watches the stars.

“Six.”

“Six? Are you crazy? That’s far too many Abby. Hasn’t your father noticed?” Jake asks, worry laced into every word and he can feel that familiar lump in his stomach again. She is going to be the death of him one day. He shifts, turning to face the two girls and Abby is strangely stiff all of a sudden. Callie doesn’t meet his eyes and he knows something is wrong.

“What happened?”

“Nothing, Jake. You’re too paranoid,” Callie cuts in and tries to laugh it off, but Jake doesn’t miss how hers and Abby’s fingers lace together protectively. It is serious and he feels like he’s going to be sick. If anything–

“Did he h–”

Abby stands so suddenly, Callie almost falls to the side and there is a look in Abby’s golden eyes Jake has never seen before.

“ _Nothing_ happened.” And with that, she is storming down the deserted corridor.

Callie is on her feet just as suddenly and before Jake can even think the thought of following her, Callie shakes her head and mouths a silent _‘no_ ’ to stop him. She rushes after her friend. She knows something he does not so he lets her, grabs his chequered blanket and heads back home, anxiety consuming his entire being but he trusts Callie.

Quite predictably, Callie catches up to her friend by the living quarters. She approaches carefully, afraid to ask what she already knows the answer to. When Abby notices her, she doesn’t say anything, gaze downcast when she opens the door and they silently head to the bedroom. Abby climbs onto the bed and curls up into a little ball. Callie grabs the fluffy blanket and sits down next to Abby, lets her lean her head on her shoulder and spreads the blanket over their bodies before wrapping an arm around her protectively. She knows that she will tell her when she is ready and they still have hours until Abby’s father returns from work. They sit in silence for a long time. Abby isn’t the type that cries, not since her mother passed away so Callie simply holds her.

Abby doesn’t know what to say, what to think. She has done everything in her power to forget it happened altogether because maybe if she just wanted it enough, then it would just be a bad dream and not reality. But now, when Callie holds her, it all comes rushing back and she doesn’t know how to function, how to breathe, how to do anything and her throat hurts and her eyes sting so she just allows herself to not be perfect for a little while.

“The bruise from a few weeks ago–” Abby says quietly but then her voice breaks and it is the saddest thing Callie has ever heard so she pulls her into her chest, arms encircling her friend tightly. Abby cries and her tears stain Callie’s favourite tank top but she doesn’t care, her only priority right now is Abby.

“It’s okay. I know.” _He’s a monster_. “I’m here.”

A few weeks ago, the night after Callie had turned fifteen, she had a sleepover at Abby’s since her father had to deal with some crisis and would most likely not be back until morning and that meant that they had the place to themselves. Everything had been fine until they decided to head to bed and Callie had noticed strange bruises on Abby’s upper arms. When she had asked, Abby had laughed away her concerns, blamed it on the P.E. lesson and while it had worried her, she hadn’t questioned her. But now, now she knows and in that moment Callie understands why some of the Ark’s residents commit murder to protect their loved ones no matter the consequences.

They sit together for hours and eventually, Abby’s tear stop so Callie shifts their position so that they are laying down and pulls the fluffy blanket closer around them both. She stays the night to make sure Abby is okay and when her mother grounds her for the entire week the following morning, Callie can not care less.

* * *

 Callie had to trade her favourite pants and Jake a week’s worth of hot shower water, but it is all worth it she concludes when she sees the look of surprise and then delight cross Abby’s face when she and Jake present her with real, crispy,  fresh bread and not the tasteless soggy kind they always have.

“Guys, you didn’t have to!” Abby exclaims happily. She is officially sixteen and tomorrow is her first day as an intern. A few of their classmates who are still having lunch look at them curiously as Abby takes a bite of the bread. She lets out a content _mm_ and proceeds to pull both of them into a hug tight.

“Can’t breathe,” Jake teases.

“I’ve never tasted anything like this before,” she grins at them when she pulls back and is quick to tear the bread into small pieces, offering it to them.

“Nah, that’s yours.”

“I want us to share, who knows what you had to trade to get this!” Abby says with a wide smile and hands them each a piece.

Callie has a content smile on her face as they head out of the lunch room. Abby babbles on about her schedule for tomorrow and how she has finally achieved her dream. They make their way through Mass Hall and they still have half an hour until Earth Skills begins. Abby’s too busy talking to notice where they are heading and then suddenly, she and Jake are standing in the library, by Abby’s favourite desk hidden away behind rows and rows of bookshelves. She turns to Jake with a surprised look on her face, Callie nowhere to be seen.

“What are we doing here?”

“I don’t know if you remember the biology test about the human digestive system in 6th grade,” He says finally and he has this strange look in his eyes when he looks down at her. It makes her nervous, and Abby is not the type that is nervous but when Jake looks at her, she sort of gets this strange feeling in her stomach.

“Yeah? I aced it,” Abby says and tries to smile confidently as a softer more genuine smile spreads on Jake’s face. He is beautiful with that charming smile and soft eyes.

“I caught you drawing during the days leading up to it and you were so happy when I promised not to tell. Your eyes were glowing and your smile was like the sun. It still is. What I’m trying to say is that I fell for you right there and then without even realising it. And you drive me crazy but I–”

Abby silences him with her lips, balancing on her tiptoes to reach up. She pulls away a beat later and a faint blush spreads up Jake’s cheeks but he smiles at her like she is the entire universe and in that moment Abby can swear that this feeling could never be compared to anything else, even the impossibility of walking on earth.

“Do you want to go to the Dance with me?” Jake asks, and the way he blushes makes butterflies spring to life in Abby’s stomach.

“Yes–No, I mean I want to but I promised Callie I’d go with her and–”

“Don’t worry I already have her blessing,” Jake interrupts with a chuckle, hands finding hers and fingers lacing together. She looks down at their hands and up at him, meeting his eyes and she has never been this happy in her life.

“Is this a dream?” She asks and steps closer to him.

“I hope not,” Jake replies and leans down towards her lips. Abby smiles into the kiss and she can’t wait to tell Callie all about this.

* * *

 “Marry me.”

Abby looks away from the stars in an instant. Jake is looking at her with those soft blue eyes and she doesn’t know what is happening. He is kneeling before her with a metal ring in hand and seconds ago he had been telling her about constellations and now, now she doesn’t know.

“W– what?” she manages to stutter out.

“You heard me, marry me.” Jake smiles at her and finally, something snaps into place in her brain and words once again make sense.

“Yes. I– yes, of course, I’ll marry you.”

His smile widens and butterflies appear in Abby’s stomach when he looks at her like that. Jake reaches for her fingers and slides on the ring. She looks at him with an astound look so he rises and plants a kiss on her lips, brief and all too happy.

“I love you, Abigail Walters Griffin.”

She smiles up at him, brown eyes shimmering in the poor lighting of section E-13. He is the happiest man alive and he doesn’t know what he would do without her.

“I love you too Jake Griffin,” Abby says softly, fingers lacing together at his neck. “Is this a dream?” She smiles because this happiness can’t possibly be real.

“I hope not,” Jake replies and pulls her into a tight embrace. Abby listens to his heartbeat if this is a dream, she hopes that she never wakes up.

* * *

 “Abby have you seen the– Never mind,” Jake says as he grabs the blueprint he has spent hours in the library looking for. If he is right, some of the old designs for the original harvest prototypes used in Farm station can be applied to their new model. Just as he is about to tuck the paper into his tablet case, he notices a tiny human heart drawn on the margin of the legend and a small smile parts his lips.

“What?” Abby enters the living area of their tiny two-room living quarters, tying her hair into a ponytail. She is a sight for sore eyes, blushing cheeks and brown warm eyes still hazy with sleep.

“I love you too,” Jake says, plants a kiss on her cheek and is out the door the next second.

As soon as Jake had turned 18 he had applied for separate living quarters for him and Abby. It could take up to two years, depending on the population rates and the termination dates for the elderly. But typing their name into the waiting list made him feel giddy. Abby spent most of her time at work, in the library, or at Jake’s if only to avoid her father. Her things had slowly migrated to Jake’s and while his parents loved her, it was getting a bit cramped. So applying for their own quarters seemed natural, they were practically living together already. Abby had been expecting it to take at least three years if not four before they could move out but it had only taken 20 months.

“It pays off to be the future star doctor of the Ark I see,” Callie had joked and they all laughed but there was truth to her words. And perhaps her father had pulled a few strings too. Either way, they were 20, engaged and happy as ever when they moved in their few belongings.

Abby quickly changes into her work clothes, grabs a protein bar which tastes like nothing at all and heads out the door towards Go-Sci. She has only walked pass Mass Hall when Callie catches up to her, a frown between her brows as she links their arms together.

“What’s wrong?”

“Kane is what’s wrong. He’s taking his new cadet role a bit too seriously and getting in the way of me doing my job.”

“Cece, you sure he’s not just trying to make a fr–”

“If you finish that sentence Abs, I swear–”

“Fine, fine. Either way, I don’t think he’s that bad. He used to be the altar boy right? And I think Jake and I had Earth Skills with him grade three to six if I remember correctly.” Truth is, Abby doesn’t really know Marcus. Just like Callie and Jake, she is from Alpha and Marcus is not so their paths rarely crossed. Besides, even if Abby has never liked it, Alpha kids, they stay together and form tight-knit exclusive groups which means that the only interaction they have with other kids from the Ark is in school. So other than the occasional group project, she can’t say too much about Marcus Kane.

“I know Jake had three other classes with him, he was always really nice. A bit shy maybe but–”

“I doubt you’d recognise him these days,” Callie mutters and leans closer to Abby. “Anyways, have you told him yet?” she asks in a hushed whisper.

“I – no, but I will.”

“Meaning that you won’t. C’mon, Abs. He’s going to be so happy, a mini Abby running around wreaking havoc? What’s not to love about that? And you already signed all the papers weeks ago. Don’t worry.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. Now you tell him tonight or I’m telling him.”

Abby gives her an uncertain look as they make their way to work. Callie sighs, used to picking up on the smallest things and now Abby is not far from being terrified. Abby had told her a while ago that she and Jake had sent in an application to have a child and after signing all the required documents Abby had been giddy with excitement for that entire week. But now she is terrified. So Callie stops and pulls her aside to let people walk pass them.

“Look, I know you and Jake and you’re literally the definition of love and if you weren’t my friends then I’d probably be disgusted by it all, but the point is that I can’t think of anything that could break that bond between you. Remember when we studied literature and we read about soulmates, yeah?”

Abby nods and Callie grabs her shoulders.

“You and Jake are soul mates. You make each other better in every way, enable each other to grow and there’s just a deep level of understanding between the two of you and heck yeah having offspring is crazy scary but if anyone can do it then it’s you and Jake.”

Abby’s smiling a bit, a small spark in her eyes and Callie knows that she has done well.

“I just – we’re not even married yet.”

“Then you get married and I’m gonna be your maid of honour.”

“Like I’d even consider someone else,” Abby smiles and Callie pulls her into a quick hug.

“I need to rush, but to be continued during lunch and don’t give me some bullshit excuse about doing extra work.”

“Fine. See you later,” Abby replies with a roll of her eyes as her friend disappears into the crowd of people heading down to Arrow Station.

* * *

A month later, they were married. Callie was right of course. Jake had been ecstatic and spun her around in the air. Clarke is four now and while she has Jake’s blue eyes and blonde hair, she is truly a mini Abby, too curious for her own good.

“Ma, what is that?” Clarke asks one Sunday morning and points at the organs lining the margins of some patient files lying on the dining room table. She keeps pointing at the images until Abby turns from the cabinet.

“That’s the human body, Clarke.”

“No.”

“Yes, it is, sweetheart. That’s what we all look like inside,” Abby explains with a smile tugging at her lips. She doesn’t know if Clarke understands what that means, but her blue eyes scan over the images carefully, fingers clumsily tracing the outlines. It almost looks like she’s drawing and Abby’s smile wideness.

“See, I told you, a mini Abby wreaking havoc,” Callie comments from her spot on the couch. They’re celebrating Jake’s promotion tonight and while Abby has opted to only invite Callie, Jake is bringing Thelonious and the now thanks to Callie the quite infamous Kane.

Clarke looks at Callie with big eyes and asks “What is that?”

Callie stands and snuggles Clarke from behind, chin resting on the blonde’s head. “It means that you’re just like your mom, Clarke,” Callie explains with a smile and points at Abby over the four-year-olds shoulder. Clarke giggles happily at the comment and it warms Abby’s heart.

There is a knock on the door and then Jake enters, followed by a smiling Thelonious and a more sullen Kane. They have acquired moonshine, which Thelonious presents proudly and pats Jake on the back, complimenting his hard work and devotion. Kane is a bit more reserved, and it reminds Abby of the Marcus she knew during her school years. He greets them all with a simple hi and smile, congratulating the three of them. Clarke pays extra attention to him. She has met him before but not nearly as often as Callie: Marcus Kane is still a stranger.

“What do you do?” she asks and Marcus gives her a slightly perplexed look.

“I’m sorry?”

“Don’t worry about it, she’s in a phase where she only talks in questions,” Jake explains with a laugh and turns back the conversation with Callie and Thelonious about the upcoming elections. Abby almost expects him to ignore Clarke, but to her surprise, he doesn’t. Instead, he takes a seat next to her.

“I’m an officer, Clarke.”

The blonde opens her mouth again, the question clear on her face but he stops her gently. “It means that it’s my job to make sure people are protected, help where it’s needed – keep them safe.”

“You’re like mommy. She helps people also,” Clarke replies with a toothy smile like she has just uncovered a great mystery of some sort. Marcus looks up at Abby standing on the other side of the table.

“I suppose so.”

Abby meets his eyes. She doesn’t know Marcus Kane, but the man sitting in her and Jake’s living quarters talking softly to Clarke with gentle eyes reminds her of the Marcus Kane she knew from school. She offers a smile before gathering up the medical files as Jake and Thelonious help set the table.

* * *

 “You done with your homework, honey?” Abby asks as Clarke comes skipping into the room.

“Yep.”

“What did I tell you? Just as ambitious as her gorgeous mother,” Jake remarks from the dinner table where he is carefully analysing blueprints for a new project. Clarke climbs onto his lap and points and asks questions about his work and Jake explains it all to her. Abby can’t quite believe how much she has grown, it feels like she was two years old a week ago and now she is close to completing her first school term.

It doesn’t take long until Clarke is overcome with sleep, trying to stay awake anyways. Jake carefully hands her over to Abby and she carries her little girl to bed.

“Mom? Story?” Clarke says sleepily as Abby tucks her in.

“Okay, what do you want me to read for you?”

Clarke mumbles something unintelligible and when Abby asks her to repeat herself, she simply points at the biology textbook sitting on the bookshelf. For a second Abby considers picking another book, unsure if Clarke will understand what the book is about, but then the blonde looks up at her with puppy eyes and how can she say no?

“It was my favourite book. It still is,” Abby explains as she gets the textbook and sits down on the bed. Clarke waits patiently while Abby flicks through the worn textbook. She stops when she reaches the human digestive system, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She turns the book towards Clarke so that she can see the image Abby has filled in all those years ago.

“This is the digestive system, how the food travels through the body.”

Clarke is looking at the image with her big blue eyes and a look of awe on her face as she traces the image with her finger, any sign of sleep completely gone.

“It’s pretty,” she says and meets her eyes again. Abby recognises that look of curiosity in her daughter’s eyes and maybe Callie had been right all those years ago; maybe the apple doesn’t fall far from the three after all.

Despite her best attempts to fight sleep, Clarke is soon in her own dream world as Abby puts the book back and tucks her in. As she moves towards the door, she finds Jake leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed and a soft, proud smile parting his lips. He opens her arms for her and pulls her into a warm hug.

“She’s just like you.”

“And is that a good thing?” Abby asks teasingly, head resting on his heart and the steady rhythm calms her.

“It is, I feel sorry for whoever tries to get in her way,” Jake says and leans back slightly to meet Abby’s eyes.

“She’s perfect. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

* * *

 “You slept with him didn’t you?”

“Abs, what are you talking about?” Callie says but the way her dark gaze dances around the room gives her away completely.

“Please, it’s written on your face.”

“Fine. We did, _but_ it’s nothing serious. We don’t have time for that,” Callie says and stabs the potato on her plate. She keeps avoiding her friend’s eyes, focusing on the food instead. Why had she not convinced David to take an early lunch too?

“I’m not saying that I just thought you and Marcus didn’t get along that well,” Abby says innocently and just like she had hoped, Callie falls right into her trap.

“Yes but that was years ago. I mean he still gets on my nerves and lord help us if he ever makes it to some power position. But the difference now is that we fight but then we sleep together and then fight again, so we’re both getting something out of it and to be completely honest, he has some redeeming qualities.” She pauses for a second and spots the content look in Abby’s eyes at her admission, bites back a laugh and adds, “And the sex is good so I’m not complaining.”

“And that’s all it is?”

“Please, are you not my best friend? I’d tell you if it was something serious. But enough about me, tell me about Clarke.”

“Fine, I will drop it. For now,” Abby says and eats the protein bar accompanying the potatoes.

“I love you too Abs,” Callie says and smiles before taking a sip of water.

They keep talking through lunch, about Clarke, Jake, the elections, the possibility of an epidemic, the recent problems down in Arrow Station. Usually Jake joins them for the few occasions when they have lunch at the same time and sometimes he brings Thelonious with him too, but recently he has taken to working during the lunch breaks. He hasn’t gone into details but there’s a small crisis.  Nothing he can’t solve but for the coming weeks, they will most likely not have lunch together. And tomorrow Callie will bring David, Esther and whoever else she can find. Hell, she might even march up to Alpha station and bring Thelonious.

* * *

 “Happy anniversary,” Jake whisper into Abby’s skin and wraps an arm around her sleeping form.

She smiles lazily and lets out a small giggle when he kisses her neck.

“You’re beautiful.”

“Not too bad yourself,” Abby mumbles back and rolls over into his warm embrace. It is early Saturday morning and Abby came back from a night shift three hours ago; she wants nothing more than to sleep.

“I have something for you.”

Abby lets out a small huff when Jake moves away from her but he’s back in bed in an instant.

“Open your eyes,” he whispers and she can feel his words rolling over her skin.

It takes a few seconds for her eyes to adjust but when they do she sees that he is holding a single pen in his hands. In an instant, she is sitting upright in bed and staring at him and the wide smile gracing his lips.

“It’s said to be an infinite ink pen. I talked to Sinclair about it and that’s what the company stated but it’s been a hundred years so who knows. I did test it so it works,” he explains proudly and Abby takes the pen and places it on the bedside table, she will take a closer look later. She pulls him into a kiss. He responds instantly and when they pull apart for air, foreheads resting against each other the smile on Abby’s face doesn’t even begin to compare to the entire universe.

“What did I do to deserve you?” She asks and places butterfly kisses on his lips, cheeks, chin, nose until he laughs.

“What did I do to get such an incredible wife?”

She laughs and plants another kiss on his lips before sliding out of bed and towards the wardrobe. She returns with her hands behind her back and Jake gives her a curious look.

“Happy anniversary,” Abby says with a smile and hands him the worn book.

Jake raises his eyebrows questionably at her as she sits down on the bed and he turns the book in his hands. _Francesco Totti: The Complete Biography_. Abby feels her heart swell when she sees the look on his face.

“How did you find this?”

“Oh, I have my ways,” Abby says and raises her eyebrows teasingly.

Jake grabs her by the waist and pulls her down to bed and she lets out a squeal in surprise before they both burst out laughing. Jake moves a strand of hair from her face, eyes locked on her golden gaze as he leans closer. The kiss is soft and makes butterflies dance in Abby’s stomach.

* * *

 Clarke sits on her bed cross-legged and tired as she goes over the Earth Skills homework for next week, but she doesn’t mind. It’s her favourite subject and even if Clarke knows that she will never get to see Earth (she’d have to be 120 at least and that is if she disregards the termination date) she wants to know everything. She can dream about home and that is as good as it gets, but she is fine with that.

_Begonia, Tuberous Begonias and Wax Begonias. Marigolds._

The flowers are pretty; Clarke has never seen one in real life. Some of the boys from Farm station have, but it’s mostly just herbs and they don’t look at all like Marigolds. That’s Clarke’s favourite flower and the petals are supposed to taste like saffron, whatever that tastes like, but the flower is beautiful so it should taste good too. Wells says that he doesn’t know why she bothers with the flowers. It’s not like _she_ is going to eat them anyways.

_Clover, Day Lilies, Dandelions._

Dandelions on the other hand, those taste like honey if they are picked young. Clarke has only had honey once when she was very sick and even then it was artificial. Most of the food is but that’s okay because artificial honey can’t be too different from real honey.

The part she likes the most about Earth Skills is that she gets to draw a lot. But it’s when she’s home that Clarke can do what she likes best, draw with real ink as opposed to digitally. Mostly she draws plants and flowers and sometimes animals. Her father always shakes his head at her, mumbling something about how she’s just like her mother.

“How’s it going, honey?” Jake asks and pokes his head inside.

“Okay. I’m a bit tired.”

“You can continue tomorrow, Clarke,” Jake suggests and moves to sit on her bed.

“But you know Sunday mornings are for drawing.”

“And isn’t that what you’re doing?” He looks at the tablet in her hands before meeting her eyes again.

“But then I get to draw what _I_ want!”

“I know honey but you need sleep too.” She pouts in response so Jake adds, “I’ll read you a story.”

And with that suggestion, Clarke complies.

* * *

 “Your proportions are off,” Clarke comments as she watches Abby draw a little heart. Golden brown eyes meet hers and Clarke offers a feline smile.

“That flower doesn’t exist, Clarke.”

But that has never been something that stopped her, no limit whatsoever to her imagination.

“We don’t know that radiation might have altered the genome.”

Abby laughs because Clarke is right of course, they don’t actually know what Earth is like; they have been blind for years. She has missed this. Lately, Abby has been too busy with work (a recent epidemic) to sit down and draw with Clarke and the disappointed in those blue eyes when she says “Sorry, but the vaccine–” or something similar hurts every time. But now for the first time and what feels like forever, they’re sitting at the dinner table, pens in hands and drawing. This is the type of lazy Sunday morning Abby has longed for.

”You two are up early,” Jake muses from the bedroom door, arms crossed and hair tousled from sleep. He’s been working late nights quite a lot recently; There’s a crisis at work but they’ve had critical problems before and the old ship always manages to survive another year. But this time, Abby can tell that something is different, it is something in those blue eyes that tells her that maybe this time there won’t be a solution.

“It’s 9 am, dad.”

“It’s Sunday. You’re crazy.”

“I get that a lot,” Clarke replies with a smile.

He approaches slowly, stands over Abby’s shoulder and glances down at her drawing. He smiles when he sees the heart, hands coming to rest on the table, trapping her with his body and plants a kiss on her cheek.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Clarke makes gagging noises, but she still smiles at them. When she is older, she hopes that she can have what they have. But that is still forever from now, Clarke is only fifteen.

* * *

 Her life is falling apart and Abby doesn’t know what to do, doesn’t know how to glue it all back together. She can’t breathe, she can’t think, she can’t do anything. Sha hasn’t felt this powerless in years and suddenly she is that little girl once again sobbing in Callie’s arms. It’s not a dream, it’s reality and she doesn’t know what to do.

She hasn’t cried in years, not during the termination date of her father, not when the epidemic broke out because Abby is not the type that sits and cries when things don’t go her way, she does something about it. And that always worked. But now, now she doesn’t have any options left. They took Jake from her and then they came for Clarke no matter how much she begged and threatened and fought she could not stop it.

“We’ll figure it out, Abs, I promise you.”

“She’s just a child, I’d give my life for hers. I couldn’t protect her, I couldn’t–”

“Don’t. We will fight this together I promise you,” Callie says and plants a kiss on her head, tightens her embrace and tries to keep her own tears from spilling.

Abby wants to believe her best friend, she wants nothing more than to believe her but she knows, they both know that there is nothing they can do to fix this. She remembers kissing Jake for the first time and she had thought that it was a dream and maybe it was and this is what waking up is like.

* * *

 Of course, it is Clarke’s cell they keep Abby in because they need to remind her of everything and everyone that is lost. When Abby’s gaze moves over the walls, full of life, her heart breaks.

Marigolds and dandelions and trees and animals and buildings, a way to escape the cold cell in space. Abby recognises some of the flowers from those lazy Sunday mornings they haven’t had in years and when she looks down and sees the drawing, she can’t help the tears that run down her cheeks. After the arrest, it was like every trace of Clarke disappeared, the drawings and books confiscated to investigate if others knew the Ark’s secret too.

Carefully she places her hand on the drawing, much like Clarke had done when she was young and had seen the organs lining the margins of papers. She hasn’t seen Clarke's drawings in years and this is how close she is ever going to get because now her little girl is further away than ever. Abby will never see her again and she misses her so much. Her heart gives in to the longing as more tears run down her cheeks and she looks around the cell, every dream immortalised on the walls. She is still that little girl with blue doe eyes, questions falling off her lips and imagination running wild, caged for so long and free at last.


End file.
